Community Management Presentation

Community Management: Open Source’s Core Competency

does not compute
By David Eaves

Open Source

Open Source
(Public Policy)

Negotiation
Conflict Management Facilitation Collaborative Decision Making Difficult Conversations Strategy

Mozilla ≠ Software Company
(Legacy OrgWare)

Mozilla =
Community Management Organization

“ Firefox represents a community of people who have a vision for the internet”
“ Our organization is community”
Mitchell Baker

“How do we take open source to scale?”
“How do we take open source to other areas (marketing, strategy, etc…)”

Community Management
Means
Enabling the Community

The Challenge

The Challenge
People often don’t agree

There is a code to understanding collaboration
2007 by David Eaves

Harvard Negotiation Project If “Yes” Commitment If “No” Alternatives (BATNA) Interests Options Legitimacy Communication Relationship

Interests

Interests Options

Interests Options Legitimacy

Interests Options Legitimacy Communication Relationship

If “No” Alternatives (BATNA) Interests Options Legitimacy Communication Relationship

Harvard Negotiation Project Leave it! Commitment Take it… or Alternatives (BATNA)

If “Yes” Commitment If “No” Alternatives (BATNA) Interests Options Legitimacy Communication Relationship Harvard Negotiation Project

That’s great.

That’s great .

That’s great! 

Poor communication
and/or
weak relationships
feed
dysfunctional assumptions

I have all the relevant information
If they knew what I knew, they’d think differently
They are probably crazy, evil or stupid

Meta Conversation
around
IDENTITY

Meta Conversation
around
IDENTITY
being right = being smart
(or, at least, smarter than them)

The audience member speaking is a professor at Seneca sharing how his students reach out and join open-source communities but often have a negative initial experience and so give up.
Consequently his students end up forming parallel but separate open-source forums and communities.

Inquire:
Ask questions to learn information
Paraphrase:
Summarizing what you think they said
Acknowledge:
Their view or feelings (without agreeing, per se)
Advocate:
Explain your point of view

THOSE OF US WHO WORK IN FREE
AND OPEN SOFTWARE PROJECTS
OFTEN
ARGUE AGGRESIVELY OR WALK
AWAY INSTEAD OF FIRST USING
OUR POWERS OF PERSUASION TO
AFFECT
A FAIR OUTCOME THAT FULLY
SATISFIES ALL OF THE COMMUNITY’S
DIFFERING INTERESTS

THOSE O F US WHO WORK IN F REE
AND OPEN SO F TWARE PROJECTS
O F TEN
ARGUE AGGRESIVELY OR WALK
AWAY INSTEAD O F F IRST USING
OUR POWERS O F PERSUASION TO
A FF ECT
A F AIR OUTCOME THAT F ULLY
SATIS F IES ALL O F THE COMMUNITY’S
DI FF ERING INTERESTS

Aoccdrnig to rsaeerch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rgiht pclae.
You can sltil raed it wouthit a big porbelm bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Tihs aslo eixaplns, at laest in prat, why so mnay of you messid so mnay of the letetr Fs. Yuor mnid saw the wolhe wrod, not ecah lteter, eevn tuohgh taht was the tsak!

I’m right No idiot, I’m right

My Conclusions Their Conclusions SHARE ASK My Conclusions DATA POOL DATA POOL From Argyris & Schon

My Conclusions My Interpretations Their Interpretations Their Conclusions SHARE ASK SHARE ASK My Conclusions My Interpretations DATA POOL DATA POOL From Argyris & Schon

SHARE ASK SHARE ASK SHARE ASK My Conclusions My Interpretations Their Interpretations Data I noticed Data they noticed DATA POOL Their Conclusions DATA POOL From Argyris & Schon

Changing the Game

1. Tools
2. Leadership
3. Culture

1. Tools

What do we mean by tools?

Bugzilla – doing some things well
Model Behaviour Set examples Establish norms

Bugzilla – making it better
Ask Why… Drive at interests Why should the software perform this way

Where is the Bugzilla for non-software problems?

2. Leadership

Be the change you want to see in the world.
- Ghandi

Inquire:
Ask questions to learn information
Paraphrase:
Summarizing what you think they said
Acknowledge:
Their view or feelings (without agreeing, per se)
Advocate:
Explain your point of view

Facilitation is your
core competency
Hire
Train
Compensate
Bonus

3. Culture

In order to persuade
you must be
open to persuasion

Ideas are fragile
Egos are fragile
Create a safe space to share

Culture can be shaped
Be proactive
Choose your
community values
Create tools and hire leaders
that honor the culture
and serve the community

David Eaves
www.eaves.ca
[email_address]
This presentation contains thoughtware provided by:
Mike Beltzner
John Lilly
Mark Surman
The Canada25 community
The authors of Getting to Yes
The authors of Difficult Conversations
The Harvard Negotiation Project
Chris Argyris
Dr. Graham Rawlinson

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Community Management Presentation

by David Eaves on Nov 27, 2007

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Community Management Presentation — Webinar Transcript